Any registered
voter may vote by absentee ballot. You do not need to
give any reason to ask for an absentee ballot.

There are several
ways to vote by absentee ballot. You may ask for a ballot
by mail or in person at the county auditor's office. For
some elections, you may vote in person at a satellite
voting station. If you live at a health care facility
or are a patient in a hospital and request an absentee
ballot, the ballot will be brought to you.

When
May You Vote By Absentee Ballot?

For primary
and general elections, ballot are required by law to be
ready 40 days before the election. For other elections,
absentee ballots are made available as soon as possible;
check with the auditor's office for the specific date.

You can request
an absentee ballot as early as ten weeks before the election.
The ballot will be mailed to you as soon as it is ready.
If your absentee ballot request is received after the
ballots are printed, it will be mailed within 24 hours.
If your ballot is delayed, check with the county auditor's
office to be sure that the request was received. If you
are in a health care facility or hospital, see page 9.

How
To Get An Absentee Ballot By Mail

You must request
an absentee ballot in writing or you may download one here.
You may also call the county auditor's
office to ask for a form or send a letter to the county
auditor asking for an absentee ballot. The letter must
include:

Name
and date of the election

Your name
and address on your registration

Political
party (only for June primary elections)

Your signature

Your current
address if it is different from the address where you
are registered

You can fax your
absentee ballot request to the county auditor's office.
You must also mail the original request to the county auditor
and it must be postmarked before election day.

Note:No witness or notary public is needed for any form to
be filled out for Iowa absentee ballots.

Returning
Your Absentee Ballot

By mail
Ballots are considered on time if they are postmarked before
election day and received by noon the Monday after the election.

For school elections
and some city and special elections, there may be an earlier
deadline. Read the instructions sent with the ballot.

In Person
Ballots may be taken to the county auditor's office by the
voter or someone the voter chooses. In order to be counted,
ballots must be returned to the county auditor's office
before the polls close on election day.

You must return
your absentee ballot even if you do not vote. After receiving
an absentee ballot, if you decide to vote at your polling
place on election day, turn in the absentee ballot at the
polls. You will be asked to vote on special ballot if you
do not turn in your absentee ballot.

How
To Vote By Absentee Ballot In Person
When you are ready to vote, go to the county auditor's office.
You cannot take the ballot home with you. The county auditor's
office is open on the Saturday before primary and general
elections. On election day, you may not vote by absentee
ballot at the auditor's office.

Absentee
Voting And Health Care Facilities

If you live in
a health care facility or are in a hospital, you may request
an absentee ballot in writing. The ballot will be delivered
to you by two precinct officials.

If you are
admitted to a health care facility or hospital three
days or less before an election:

In Your Home
CountyThe request for a ballot may be given to an election
official delivering ballots to other voters. The auditor
will take phone requests until 4 hours before the polls
close. A request for a ballot may be Faxed if the original
request is also mailed in. It must be postmarked before
election day. Ballots cannot be sent by FAX.

Outside your
home county
You may choose someone to deliver your absentee ballot.
Anyone you choose, except a candidate on the ballot, may
deliver it. Phone or FAX requests may be made to your county
auditor no later than 4 hours before the polls close on
election day.

Note:
No witness or notary public is needed for any form to
be filled out for Iowa absentee ballots.

Satellite
Absentee Voting

Some
counties use satellite absentee voting stations to provide
absentee voting at various locations.

The voter must
mark the ballot at the station and leave it with the officials.
All satellite stations must be accessible to people with
disabilities.

The auditor is not required
to set up satellite stations. To find out
whether satellite stations are planned for any election,
contact your auditor. Voters may request satellite absentee voting
stations by filing petitions with the county auditor.